If you like the history of how things came to be, there is an old book I have called Connections by James Burke. It was published in 1978 and goes way back to things invented in ancient Egypt and other places, then goes through time and explains how they affected some of the common machinery we see today. For instance, early mining efforts eventually lead to the invention of the spark plug and carburetor which leads to Henry Ford and beyond. Volta, Venturi, Newcomen, Watt and many others had a hand in this.
On this day in 1066, William the Conqueror defeats Harold at the Battle of Hastings; his advantage was the stirrup used by the cavalry which enabled them to hold a shield in one hand and make use of the lance with the other. One little invention helps to change history, facinating.
Anyway, in order to avoid being moderated, there is stuff on boats in the book too.
Mike
Baton Rouge